


Clothesline Hearts to Harden

by magicites



Category: Kamen Rider OOO
Genre: Drabble, F/F, Getting Together, The theme of the day is fashion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-07 18:02:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20980094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicites/pseuds/magicites
Summary: What could Hina ever say about herself, if all she ever lets herself say revolves around other people?Erika doesn't have the answer, but she wants to find out.





	Clothesline Hearts to Harden

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chime/gifts).

> this was such a fun prompt to fill!!! i hope you enjoy reading this as much as i enjoyed writing this! 
> 
> i love hina so much. so incredibly much.

Erika makes it a point not to think about anything work-related on her off hours - people included. She tries her best to forget Mr. Kougami’s name on her days off. President of who? What industries? 

Medals?

She’s never heard of any of those things.

For all her efforts, the food at Cous Coussier is so good that it blurs the lines between her work life and her personal life. Besides, this week’s theme is Chinese cuisine, and there isn’t a single place in this city that can make szechuan beef as well as Chiyoko.

Which is why Erika finds herself, in the torn jeans, trucker cap, and leather jacket that act as her off-day wardrobe staples, sitting at a table for one in the corner of the restaurant. 

Hino’s friend (Izumi… Hina? Probably?) sets down her food in front of her. She’s dressed to match the theme in a red qipao and long hair tied up into two buns. Small flowers are tucked into the edges of the buns. It’s a cute touch. 

“Thank you,” Satonaka says, fully expecting Hina ( _ right? _ ) to bow and leave Erika to her food. Instead Hina clutches the tray to her chest and continues to look at her with wide eyes. 

Erika raises an eyebrow. “Yes?”

A light blush comes to Hina’s face at the realization that she’s being weird. “O-oh! I’m sorry. It’s nothing, really.”

Erika doesn’t believe her in the slightest. “What is it?”

Hina looks away. “I just… I’m not used to seeing you dressed like this. You’re always trendy, but this is a different kind of trendy. You look really nice.”

Erika laughs. The first time Gotou saw her dressed in her regular clothes, he almost didn’t recognize her. “People judge us through our clothes all the time. What you wear tells people about you just as much as words do. The skirts and blazers are good for business events, but this,” she gestures to her outfit, “says not to mess with me. Even if I look good, I’m not in the mood for bullshit.”

Hina nods eagerly. “Fashion is your statement to the world around you! That’s one thing I like about it. I want to design clothes, actually. I think about what message I want my pieces to send all the time.”

That sounds familiar. She must have heard Hino or the bird talking about that before. “Oh yeah? What message do you want to make?”

That earns a tiny shrug. “It depends on who I’m making the clothes for.”

* * *

Erika thinks about that interaction throughout the week. Even when she goes back to work, taking stock of the Kougami Foundations seemingly endless supply of medals leaves her mind free to wander. She’s always mindful in the outfits she picks for work, but she starts to wonder what kind of outfit Hina would make for a job like hers. Something professional, obviously, but how would she make it Erika’s? 

What about Hina? What kind of clothes would she make for herself to wear, if given the opportunity? The more Erika thinks, the more she realizes she knows almost nothing about Hina. Not because she isn’t around - she shows up at Hino’s side when he comes to meet with Kougami just as often as the bird does - but because of… of what?

She gets her answer when Hina comes in with Hino and the bird a few days later. Hina falls back to let them both spread her wings, but Erika keeps an eye on Hina even as the men talk about medals, or desire, or whatever buzzword will get them into a shouting match today. She wears her heart on her sleeve and her face both, coming through in her soft frown and in the brown jacket and matching skirt that she’s decided to wear today. She goes for neutral colors and feminine silhouettes, things that never quite draw attention to her the way the bird’s bright reds and Hino’s deep purples to do themselves. 

Throughout the entire meeting, Hina only says a single word, and that’s Hino’s name when Kougami makes a nonsensical offer for what must have been the fifth time that day. Erika isn’t surprised, just disappointed. What could Hina ever say about herself, if all she ever lets herself say revolves around other people? 

The meeting ends not when Kougami declares it done, but when the bird gets so tired of his theatrics that he storms off. Hino groans and chases after him. Hina is quick to follow, but the moment her back is turned an idea grips Erika that she’s unable to let go of.

She gets to her feet. She can feel her boss’s eyes on her - she’s at  _ work _ , and that only ever consists of doing whatever Kougami wants her to do that day - but she pays them little mind. “Miss Izumi!” she calls out. 

Hina stops. She turns around, her eyes wide and fearful. “Yes?”

It occurs to Erika then, that of the three, Hina’s never been addressed. They’ve never had business with her directly. “I’ll be back in five,” she says to Kougami, who laughs and lets her be. Really, she’s only telling him to be polite. He never cares if she leaves. All he cares is that she acts on her desires.

She has one desire, as impulsive as it may be, that she’s willing to act on now. “Follow me,” Erika says. It’s difficult to break out of her formal speech when she’s in her work outfits, after all. Hina must assume this is another one of Kougami’s schemes, but she falls silent and dutifully follows Erika into the hallway.

When they’re just out of Kougami’s prying earshot, Erika falls back into something a little closer to her off-hours self. Her posture does not change, still as tall and elegant as ever, but she lets her voice fall a little deeper, dig a little sharper. “What are you doing this Saturday?” Erika asks.

Hina startles. “I shouldn’t be doing anything…” she says. “Does Mr. Kougami need me for something?”

“No,” Erika says, pausing just long enough to smirk at the clear confusion written all over Hina’s face. “We should go shopping together. On Saturday.”

Still, Hina looks lost. What a shame. Erika hopes she would have been at least a  _ little _ excited. “Okay…? Is there a reason why?”

Erika gives her reasons. “You’re cute, but I don’t know anything about you. I want to see what kind of things you’d buy for yourself.”

The compliment makes her turn a subtle shade of pink. Erika likes the sight. She wouldn’t mind seeing it again. “In that case… um, yes, I think… that’d be nice. Are you sure you won’t be bored, though?”

“You think I’d let you go shopping and  _ not _ buy something for myself? That’s not how I do things.”

Hina takes in the information slowly, but Erika doesn’t mind that. She’d rather Hina take things slow then run around in a panic like half the people in this company do. It’s a refreshing change of pace. “In that case, okay. It sounds fun.”

“Then it’s a date.”

The blush comes back, even brighter than before. “A date?” Hina repeats, clearly trying her hardest not to read into it - and clearly fading.

Erika nods. “A date. Unless…”

Hina shakes her head before Erika can finish her thought. “No! A date is fine. You’re really pretty, Miss Satonaka. I’d love to go on a date with you.” 

Score. 

Hina glances down the empty hallway. “But I should get back to Eiji and Ankh before something happens.” And she has a point - knowing those two, something  _ will _ happen in a matter of moments. “I’ll see you Saturday?”

“At eleven. We can meet at the mall.”

Hina smiles. “Perfect. I’ll see you then.” 

When Erika returns to work, Kougami doesn’t ask her what the break was for. All he does is laugh.

It’s fine. He must know Erika just got what she wanted.

And come Saturday, maybe she’ll learn what Hina wants, too.


End file.
